Because basic math is complicated

Matthew 18:19-22
Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?
Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven"

I'm trying to get a head start on my New Year's Resolution (of being more forgiving) by planting little peace seeds in areas where I normally plant landmines. My youngest sisters think that their older sister and I hate each others' living guts. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we're serious jerks about it. Actually, I have a whole bucket full that I'm not proud of when it comes to getting along with my own sisters sometimes.
Facebook is the least personal way to discuss the most personal things, so that's the line of communication I chose to open things up between us. I just said, (this is paraphrased so I don't have to explain inside jokes) "Hey, the girls think we hate each other, let's work on being friends. Also The Office sucks without Micheal Scott."
She wrote back, "Yeah. The Office is a shame now :-/ "

In some versions of the bible, I only have to forgive 77 times. Unfortunately, I memorized the 70 TIMES 7 one. Sometimes I feel like I can't even make it to 7. Not just with the sisters, but in general.

Then I was a bit enlightened for the first time by verse 20 [For when 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am with them.] I guess I could just aim for the smaller number, the 2-3. I trust my gathering skills. It's the "In My Name" part that I'm nervous about. How do you invite people who won't be in your presence to be in God's presence?

I figure all I can do is continue to try to expose the good of God through me. Which will only work if I am a peaceful sister instead of a bratty one. And, lately I am nothing but bratty.

I'm starting to misspell like crazy so it's bed time!

Resolution #1

This might be my New Year’s resolution verse:

Mark 11:25

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone,

forgive him,

so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

I want to focus on forgiveness this year and this day, this moment, really. I am such an angry person. I wanted to really dig deep into the feel of forgiveness to write this post, so like an idiot, I dwelt on the past.

In reminiscent fit of rage, I thought about one my most angry and hurt moments, ever—finding out that whom I thought was Mine kissed a very ugly girl. I still rage when I think about it. (Years later. [I blame my period.]) I imagined what I would have thought if my dear Heart-Breaker-Bryan had died soon after this, like he almost did. (Foul play.) It just wouldn’t have made sense to stay mad at him. He would be dead. He would feel nothing, no hate, no hurt, no persistent (I need a stronger word than that) love disguised as fury. It would be like heaving the heaviest of emotions known to the soul up a mountain and then dropping them off the highest cliff.

[[ I could have just left the weight at the bottom of the mountain. ]]

In the scenario in which Bryan lives, (the real one) it would be like heaving the heaviest of emotions known to the soul up a mountain and then stacking them on top of each other. And then squirming underneath it. And giving it a dirty look like Second Graders give each other when they steal claimed seats. Like, “Hey you sneaky punk, this is where I belong!”

Neither scenario does anybody any good. Well, it doesn't do me any good and it doesn't do my Hated any bad. So even my evil intentions can't prevail.

[Thank God.]

Anyway!

This year I want to leave useless things on the bottoms of my mountains. I understand that at times, I will have to carry heavy things, but I refuse to carry useless things.

You can skip this part, reader, it's just a list of people and nonliving things on my Forgive List:

-People who chew loud (Satan)

-My parents. (They didn’t do anything wrong, I’m just a bratty 22 year old teenager. If I’m clever enough to make up things to be mad at, I’m clever enough to make up things to forgive.)

-My job for being boring (It pays the bills for now and won’t last forever.)

-Maybe myself a little bit (for being a scattered raggedy mess)

-Day light savings time. (Sun light will come back in the spring!!!)

-People who have humiliated me.

-People who need help when I don’t want to give it/think I can give it.

-My period

Ok reader, come back.

Thought:

Have I ever been forgiven (other than by the blood of Christ)?

I believe that patience is a form of forgiveness, like preventative forgiveness. I feel a little guilty but so relieved when people let me take my time. I want to thank these people with my whole heart. Wow, I have been forgiven so many times. I want to be that forgiving in 2012.

This verse energizes me for the coming new year and my path of forgiveness…

Isaiah 43:18-19

Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past. See,

I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up;

do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.

Hobbies.

"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life.
Just make sure that you don't use this freedom
as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom.
Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows."
Galatians 5:13 {The Message}

"... do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh..."
Galatians 5:13 {NIV}

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what we do with our time {as I said in my last post}.
I have been thinking in particular about hobbies that take up our "spare" time.
How does God feel about our hobbies?

"The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers
in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers.
They excel as craftsmen and as designers."
Exodus 35:35 {NLT}

This is so interesting to me {partly because of my interest in clothing, ha!}.
God gives us all special skills, passions, interests... he gives us talents to use and {we hope} that these talents will come out in our jobs/hobbies.

The problem I've been facing with my hobbies lately is that I'm letting them take up all my free time and leaving no time for God.
Which has been leaving me in quite a terrible spot...
Isn't it sad that you notice how much more negative and stressed you become when you aren't spending the time with God that you should be, but it's still so easy to fall into the cycle of not making the time?

"No one can serve two masters..."
Matthew 6:24a {NIV}

We need to be sure that we are not letting our hobbies become a master of our lives.
So, how can I serve those around me with my hobby?
How can I show God's love through my hobby?
I'm still trying to figure this out... but it's just some questions for you to ponder.

"So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work.
That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die."
Ecclesiastes 3:22 {NIV}

{Sorry for such a scattered post! Just thinking out loud}

I'm a bumper sticker.

I'm just going to admit that I hate pushy Jesus bumper stickers. It's one of my top 10 flaws as a believer.
Yesterday I saw one that said "Keep Christ in Christmas" and thought "Yeah or we can keep ourselves to ourselves. Jerk bumper sticker. What are you some kind of angel? I have plenty of Christ in Christmas. And plenty of Christ in General."

To which the bumper sticker said, "You really need to step back and take a look at your thoughts. Do you really think just because they're in your head that they aren't harmful?"

I realized that hating a bumper sticker was one thing, but having a debate with it to justify my hate was whole new level of Need-to-be-in-prayer.

Here's the thing. This has been the most stressful December I think I've ever had. It keeps catching me off guard, like, WHO IS THIS GRINCH WOMAN WALKING AROUND INSIDE OF YOU, ME?!? It's only been stressful because I'm working a lot of over time at my harmless little factory job. I think it's a societal-sin to complain about being employed, but hey, sometimes we want more time than money, right? Let me just admit that I'm a whiner.
I have nothing to Grinch about. But look at me go.

[I just wish that bumper sticker hadn't been so confrontational.]

To get my head on straighter, I read about how Christ even got into Christmas in the first place... [Get it? I read the book of Matthew.]

Matthew 1:19-24

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”-- which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Finding out that Mary was pregnant was probably one of the most stressful Decembers that Joseph had ever had. It probably caught him off guard. If I were Joseph...I just don't know how I would be able to remain that calm. We all have our societal-sins to stress about, but have you ever had a pregnant wife that you didn't knock up? Joseph. What a stand up guy! What a man of faith! He inspires me every time I read about him. I want to have a faith like Joseph's on the night Jesus was born.

What I'm getting at is that if Joseph could keep Christ in Christmas, I can too.




Here's a little side note verse to pray on while you're in a long line at target, or when your back hurts from wrapping presents, or during any other Wonderful Things that you can't help but hate, momentarily:

Phillippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ, (you know, the one from Christmas?) Jesus.

Unreliable

I'm sorry I pulled the "I'll do this when I have time" card. Man, if you were annoyed by that, I can't imagine how God feels during most of my daily life! Yikes. I need to stop putting off God, and I need to stop putting off his work.

I need to be the hands and feet, right?

Well for the most part, lately, I've had my arms folded up and my feet firmly planted in misery. It's just where I've chosen to stay for a while. In Pout-ville.

The last verse I posted sparked my inspiration to not be so whiney over NOTHING.

Girl, stop hating your job, you were recently unemployed.
Girl, stop pushing your friends away, you will end up with zero.
Girl, stop stressing over wild and crazy dreams, you will start to hate them.

[Ecclesiastes 3]
¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

In my last post, all I really meant was that I was mourning at the wrong time. Nobody likes that. No body needs that. That is not God shining through me, that's selfishness and plain old..YUCK. Sometimes your season is boring, sometimes painful, sometimes hopeless, sometimes joyful. Every season calls on Jesus.

I get into my little moods every time I wonder, "God. But why am I sitting through this?" ["This" is usually nothing more than a long line, or someone chewing gum loud, or traffic, or class, or work, or money or something that is pathetic to complain about.]

Well, Other Whiners (or is it just me?)

[Ecclesiastes 3:9-11]
⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Did you hear that?!?!?!?!?!?

He has made everything beautiful IN ITS TIME!



I just don't know what else to say. Beautiful in its time. Mmmmmmmmm that is good to believe!

A quickie

I brought upon myself a bit of a dark moment last night. [Miss Raging Grumpy Pants]
I just want to take a moment to praise the God who gives me good company and who gives me and grace.
I will write more this afternoon when I have better time!
Speaking of time, here's a preview what's on my mind...

Eccesiastes 3:4
(there is a) time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to grieve and a time to dance

It's dance and praise time!

You can tell how tired I am by the amount of sense this makes :)

I will probably be writing a lot about "this time last year" because although I haven't changed very much as a person, I don't think last year's Dewey would recognize the perspective of this year's Dewey. Get it?

Last year, while my focus on God was slowly being sharpened, I was mainly focused on my boyfriend and my education.
Wonderful Things!
I was stressed at school(I HATED IT SO MUCH!), but persevering. My endurance, I would accredit to God, Caitlin & Manda--my Bible Study Babes, and Jonathan, the Wonderful Thing of a boyfriend. [He is the one who pointed out to me that I was sleeping an average of 4 hours/night. He challenged me to get 8. He literally bet me that I would feel better. He won the bet. I owed him a kiss.]

I was happy in my life but not fully satisfied. Life last November was a meal with good company, (happy) but it was never more than bread and butter (not satisfied.)

The bread and butter life is so safe! Think about when you're out to eat. The bread and butter is usually free, so you haven't invested anything yet, you can still bail on dinner or just sit and hope it doesn't suck, but you know it will, so you just mow down on bread.

To continue with my super fun metaphor, I was filling up on bread, and didn't even bother to order anything real. Food costs money, man!

I was living a safe life, even a promising life. If I hadn't changed anything, I would have one more semester left of school, great grades, job prospects, and quite probably a ring on my finger. Wonderful Things!


Sometimes I wondered what I would be like if I had truer faith in God. Or more faith in God than I had in myself.

What would it be like to stand in his full light, instead of hide from him in my own shadow.

Have you ever prayed for a bigger shadow so that you could hide more easily? (or was that just me?)

Romans 8: 7-9, 31

For the mind that is set on the flesh

is hostile to God,

for it does not submit to God’s law;

indeed, it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however,

are not in the flesh but in the Spirit,

if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

31What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Is anyone out there getting a little restless...?

Random Thoughts

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Colossians 3:23

Over the past 2 and a half months I have been challenged in ways I never even knew I could be challenged. Going from an environment of being loved and appreciated by my employers and having such a huge group of people around me that I loved and who loved me back, and coming here to a completely new way of working and living has stretched me just about to my limits. Although it has been so easy to complain and whine about it I feel like God is really trying to teach me some things through all of this.

Here are a few things that I have learned and need to continue to work on.

1. God has placed certain people in my life so that I can learn from them, even if they annoy the crap out of me. And I think that it can go both ways. While there are things that I can learn from them, I feel like God is showing me ways in which I can teach them. It has all been quite a humbling experience.

2. No matter what, people will ALWAYS fail us, and God is the one and only true person/friend/God that we can always depend on and who will never ever fail us! That has brought me so much comfort over the past few months.

3. I am learning how to love people just the way they are. This is probably the area in which I have the biggest struggle. Each person felt called by God to come here, and I have no right to think that I am in any way better than others around me. God truly does love each and every one of us, and sometimes I really need to remind myself that I am not "special" in the sense that I gave up my whole life to come here and serve. Everyone else has done that too. God has humbled me many times when I start making everything too much about me, and not having a compassionate and loving attitude towards those around me.

I am sure that there are many more things that I am still realizing that I am learning :) May God continue to show us all how to love and live like He wants us to!

Time Management.

"Lord, remind me how brief
my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered,
and my life is fleeing away."
Psalm 39: 4

This morning I was working on a monthly budget for December and it got me thinking about how I budget my time. I'm trying to use the money God gave in wise ways, but what about the time he has given me?

If I made a budget of where my time is spent, would it reflect that of a godly woman?
Sadly, I doubt it.

How do we change our schedules to ensure we are living out God's plan for us?
Do we wake up and dedicate each day to God's will? We should.
Here's a good way to start changing how we spend our time:

"I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless."

Psalm 101:3a

Anything that is worthless.
Why is it so easy to fall into a pattern of doing meaningless tasks?

How often do you spend too much time on worthless things? I know that I have spent too much time lately on the computer, watching worthless t.v. shows, worrying about worthless things...

When we allow these worthless activities to take over our time, we are clouding opportunities God has given us to love others, to give generously, to grow with him; ultimately, to live the life he planned for us.

Maybe it's time to create a budget for our time.
I suggest looking at pages 3 &4 of this article on biblical time management.


Ephesians 5:15-16 "So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days."

Colossians 3:23 "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God."

Colossians 4:5-6 "Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone."

Journeys.

Exodus 40:38b
"This continued throughout all their journeys."
{NLT}

This is the last thing said in the book of Exodus. The very last thing.
God takes the Israelites out of Egypt and is leading them on to the promised land.
It talks about how the Lord showed the Israelites where to go through signs in the sky {clouds, fire}.
All day and all night God led them.

And I believe that God does the same for us still today,
{although it may not be in as obvious of ways as huge clouds and fire in the sky directing us where to go}.
Lately I've felt so much love and direction from God
and I'm so happy to know that God is with me throughout all of my journeys.
But it's hard to remember that this also means that I need to respond when I know what God wants me to do.
I need to follow the path he lays ahead of me, even when I doubt that it is the right choice
{as the Israelites doubted God's plan after spending years wandering in the desert}.
It's hard to trust that things will all work out just right when you can't see exactly where you're heading.

I pray that we can all recognize and follow God's plan for us and take comfort in the fact that he is beside us through everything.
And will remain with us forever.


{Through The Bible In One Year Update: 1 Samuel 8}

Praise: Thankful for a loving brother & father that have been with me through life's journeys.

Prayer: That I may continue to see God's path for me and continue to spend time in his word.

Unrestrained Joy

I'm not trying to copy Dewey's idea for today, but my devotions this morning were along a similar path :) So, I am going to piggy back off of her ideas!

I am also reading in Matthew right now and read this verse this morning:

"Staying with it - that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved..."

Matthew 24 (MSG)

Although the context of this verse is talking about the end of the world, I still feel like it is something that we can be encouraged by. We never know when our last days might be, so we need to be living our lives in such a way that we are always doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. I have a devotional book that I read every day and there was a line that really stuck out to me and has been going round and round in my head all day since I read it.

"Simply obey God with unrestrained joy."

It's simple. It's to the point. It's what God calls us to do. There are times that obeying God can seem like such a scary thing, but why should we be scared? (Don't worry I am preaching to myself right now!) The Bible doesn't say that following Jesus will always be easy, but God does promise us eternal life with him. And when God tells us to do something, we should do it.

My hope and prayer is that I will be able to:

Simply obey with unrestrained joy when God calls me to leave my friends and family behind to go and serve him.

Simply obey with unrestrained joy even when I am tired because of all the curve balls that life seems to throw at me.

Simply obey with unrestrained joy when the unexpected happens.

And to just always have a "kingdom mindset" where I can truly realize that things of this world are passing away (dcTalk anyone?) and remember that there is life beyond my wildest dreams in heaven with my Savior!

abandoning doubt...

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for the disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward in full! But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your father who is unseen;
and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
[Matthew 6:16-18]

This is how life works sometimes:

You feel God calling you to do something
You start to do it
You have to deal with the people of the Everyday asking for an explanation.


I look back to when I fasted, for just a day, earlier this summer. I told a friend that I was going to do it, and he questioned--no, he drilled me, about how stupid that was. Trying to defend myself tired me out!!!!

And now here I am, on a new mission of faith...I took the first step, and I am being TRAMPLED by people asking how I could possibly take such a huge risk. I've been saying, "I just want to." They try to give me advise, and change my mind.

I'm getting tired already, and filled with doubt.

But that's stupid! If I had been fasting and someone said, "This is stupid, have a cookie." Would I take the cookie or would I wash my face and sit quietly with God?


My joy is restored!

Woah, now, God.

This story is called "At a Campfire"

Mike
Do you still work at Lowe's?

Me
Yup.

Mike
Do you still hate it?

Me
Yup.

Mike
So you're in the same place as you've been for a while.

Me
Yup.

Mike
So maybe it's time to quit your job?

Me
Yeah. Maybe. I don't know! I just don't trust God! Just kidding.

Mike
I don't think you are kidding.

Me
(turning to God instead of Mike Bythefire)

So I prayed even harder, "God, if I need to change my life or quit my job, just me know." And I kept saying "God, let me know."
And I kept pretending that I didn't know.

I'm embarrassed to be nervous. I KNOW that God provides for me. I know he does. Yet, I still feel the anxiety of change. I'm afraid to make any single thing different. I feel God pushing me to change,
so

Jeremiah 29:11 it is.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and A FUTURE!

Asking for a second opinion

Proverbs 15:22

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Look at you go, trying to make sens of yourself and your future all by yourself. "Look, Ma, no hands!" Put your stubby little fingers back on the handle bars and think as you pedal. A sense of confidence is valuable to pushing forward in life, but it's foolish not to check yourself. Allow your God-loving friends to check up on you, seek their advice. Most importantly, keep God at your heart and let him speak to you. Let him be your council so that you can help other people.

Trust God above yourself.

That's what I need to do this week, and my dearest friends have helped to hold me accountable.
I have been discouraged lately, because I can't find a better job, but maybe God knows that I don't need one right now. Or maybe He is saving the right one for me. I asked a friend to look over my resume for me, and I feel so much better about my applications now.

Just let their be more eyes than your own, and let me clarify: *trusted* eyes, not just every set.

I pray that you feel confident and resolve uncertainties today!

Thankful

I have to admit something, the reason that I am thankful right now is because I have one day left in Deuteronomy. How bad is that!? I feel like I have been in this book for so long, but today I was very thankful while reading it. Funny how that works sometimes.

I am thankful that I don't have all these rules to follow, like how to prepare my food the right way, not worrying about if I am wearing "mixed fabrics" together, and making sure that I have tassels on the four corners of my cloak.

I am thankful for those that have gone before me in their own walks of faith and the example that they give us all to follow.

I am thankful for the sacred words of Scripture that guide us and reveal new truths about God each time we read them in our different circumstances.

But most of all, I am so thankful for the love of a Savior who would come down and die for my sins, so that he can bridge the way to heaven without having to go through all the rituals and rules of the Old Testament times.

I am thankful that I serve such an AMAZING God!!!

I fell alseep on Mother's Day

Proverbs 1:8-9
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

The imagery in this verse makes me think of how my mom used to put enormous bows in my hair for school every day, [it was the 90's] and how she still makes sure I am fit to leave my house and be in public.
Now that I am soooooo grown up, a whole 22 years worth, I suppose she trusts that I can keep myself together, remembering her expectations.

These are a few motherly teachings I will not forsake:

"Get your ass out of bed and get to church!"
"If you're gonna quit [any given sports team], your legs better be broken!"
"If you're ever on the news, there better be a good reason for it."

And something about how I should just be nice to everyone, let the mean people worry about themselves.

I appreciate this.

I fell asleep today around 5:00pm, and didn't get to give my mom a card or her gardening tools or have dinner with everyone. [Stupid tired Dewey!!]
:(
Hopefully she still loves me.


[I'm so blessed!]


This is a truth about moms:
They have no idea how much they're teaching.
[Have you ever heard or been a tiny child who lets out a little curse word? Thaaaat makes moms blush.] I just giggle about these things; women who are only human, passing human traits along.

So even drunken/homeless/jail-bound/suicidal/selfish moms who forget they even have kids are full of lessons. She might exhaust you, she could even drag you down with her. Or you might be just inspired. Learn from your parents. If you watch your mother walk a twisted path, know to walk a different one.

I guess I am just praying for anyone who thinks they got gypped on a mom. If anyone is bitter for any reason toward her, then hey, who do you think you are?
She gave you life. And she may not have taught you how to be peaceful but, you're bright enough...

My prayer for Mother's Day, God, is that our moms will sense our appreciation for them, whether on earth or in your kingdom, and that our hearts will be show joy and feel any forgiveness that we've been avoiding. It's too easy to be bitter, so help us grow our little moments of mom-joy.
Amen.

I Find Rest.

Psalm 37:7a
"Be still in the presence of the LORD,
and wait patiently for him to act." {NLT}

For the past few weeks, I have been going non-stop. I have been working so much and have neglected spending any significant amount of time in God's word and I have felt this taking a serious toll on my attitude, patience, and overall happiness. Amongst all my busyness {starting a new job, moving into an apartment, etc.}, I have not taken the time to be still in God's presence, to spend time with my savior and friend.

The King James Version of this verse says "Rest in the Lord", what a thought! Taking the time to come before God and hand over anything I'm dealing with and rest knowing that he will take care of everything.

I just pray that in the coming days and weeks, I will draw closer to God and rest knowing that he has a perfect plan for my life {even when I don't quite see things working out as planned}.


{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Joshua 9}

Praise: I made it through April without losing my mind.

Prayer: Continue learning to completely trust God's plan.

Sheep and Goats

I don't think that it is a coincidence that the parable of the sheep and the goats was in our Bible Study last night. Last week as our church participated in Flower City Work Camp, one of the evening services focused on this exact Scripture. Maybe God is showing it to me repeatedly because there is a lesson to be learned here.

Sheep on the right, goats on the left.

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I admit the next set of verses scare me a bit.

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

Are there people in my life that I am overlooking everyday? In James when it talks about judging those around us, what right do I have to judge? What makes me so special that I get to pick and choose who I am going to act kindly towards? God doesn't pick out the "good" Christians and make their lives wonderful filled with ponies and dancing around on clouds. He loves us all the same, extending love, mercy and grace to those who humble themselves before him. What right do I have to pick and choose who gets to also experience the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness that I have experienced in Christ? Why should I even try to hold that back and keep it all to myself? Do I want to be a sheep or a goat?

I know that it is easier to write these things than to actually act upon them. I can write all this and say the good and right Christian things, but when it actually comes down to it, am I ready to change my selfish ways and love people the way that Christ loves me? God I ask that you would continue to help me in this. Help me not to pick and choose who I think you should love, but help me realize that you died for everyone! You love everyone more than I ever could. Help me to do my part in showing your love to each person that I encounter. Help me see Jesus in them and treat them as if they were Jesus with skin on. Help me to rid myself of my selfish ways. Thank you for your love and grace!

Matthew 25:31-46 (MSG)

naturally

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

Lack of confidence, discouragement, overwhelming..., heartbreak, being caught off guard, caught unprepared. ENOUGH! If God puts a passion in you, believe that it is from God; and that because God gave it, that it is a little version of Him in your heart. Your God-given need to feel alive in the ways that only you feel alive...

[Abridged]
I'm disappointed in myself today for the things I haven't done. I have never suspected that God might be the fuel to intrinsic motivation. I am wasting what God has given me by denying what God has given me. With prayer, I will trust God as the leader of my heart.

[Abridged]
It is necessary to spend time getting to know God, so that we can agree that the need for me to do all sorts of crazy things is part of his plan.

[Abridged]
Know that this burning-passion-in-your-heart is of God, and therefore trust it as your guide.

[Abridged]
God gave you this unique yearning to explore the world, trust Him!

[Abridged]
If your heart is for God, trust your heart to follow God.

[Abridged]
Trust your strangely curious self.

[Abridged]
Trust God when you feel Him.

[Abridged]
Trust God.

[Abridged]
Feel Him.

My style is that I ramble

I am always thinking about the new journey that I'm on, always praying about the next step, always thinking I should
-pray more
-focus more on the objective
combine focus on my life goals and God goals.

[The God goal is to keep God closer and closer]

The life goal is to figure out the life goal.
I keep praying about my new life path, and I realize that I'm literally on a new/life/path every single day.

How A(DD)ewsome is that!

This is prayer is for my lovelyyyy friends, Manda and Caitlin, as you sway between eager optimism and reasonable reluctance as your life starts twisting into new directions; whether you felt forced out on your own, or you're the one who sent a letter asking to be shipped out! My rambling prayers are for you today! <3





God, walk with me, let this road lead to you.

Be the destination,
God
be the path,
be the flowers on the side
and the storming
insides of
me.

God, be in between me and the breeze,
be my rest
be my eagerness.
be my nervous first steps,
God, be the point at which I left.

God's Got Our Back

"But even there, if you seek God, your God, you'll be able to find him if you're serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. When troubles come and all these awful things happen to you, in future days you will come back to God, your God, and listen obediently to what he says. God, your God, is above all a compassionate God. In the end he will not abandon you, he won't bring you to ruin, he won't forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them."

"Know this well, then. Take it to heart right now: God is in Heaven above; God is on Earth below. He's the only God there is. Obediently live by his rules and commands which I'm giving you today so that you'll live well and your children after you—oh, you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you."

Deuteronomy 4:29-31; 39-40 (Message)

I have to admit something. I did not want to read my Bible tonight. I had a terrible attitude, knowing that I was in the Old Testament, wondering what on earth I would read in Deuteronomy that I could apply to my life today. But, God decided that I needed an attitude change and really showed me how amazing he is!

Among all the stories of war and conquer in the Lord's name, I kept seeing one thing was repeated in my reading tonight. As long as the people obeyed him and trusted in his provision, they were blessed beyond belief! They were given what was promised to them! There are so many times in my life that I find it hard to finish what God has already started.

I really liked the Message version of chapter 2:31. " Look, I've got the ball rolling - Sihon and his land are soon yours. Go ahead. Take it. It's practically yours!"

How many times have I ignored God when he says that? Obviously I am not in a physical battle and fighting for what God has promised in a war, but what things in my day to day life am I not completely trusting that God has already taken care of? What is holding me back?

I read a bit out of Psalm 42 as well and really like this part that is repeated twice in the Psalm.

"Why are you down in the dumps dear soul?

Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God -

soon I'll be praising again.

He puts a smile on my face.

He's my God."

I don't know about you, but I just read the last two lines of that Psalm out loud and could not stop smiling. He is my God. He is your God. He loves us more than we can ever know! Doesn't that just make you giddy with happiness?

Thank you Lord for changing my grumpy heart and showing me that you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank you for your love!

Flowing With Milk And Honey.

Do you ever feel like it has been weeks, or months, or years since that last time you were on the right path? It's as if God forgot that he is supposed to be walking with you and helping you through the troubles that come your way?

Now, we know that God uses our trials to help us grow close to him, but occasionally our natural human tendencies lead us to believe that he has completely abandoned us.

When you're going through a time that you feel like God has abandoned you, it's comforting to read through the Bible and see stories of people thousands of years ago that felt the same way and see the amazing blessings God poured out on them when they were faithful through their trials.

Numbers 14:7-8
"They said to the community of Israel, 'The land we explored
is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us,
he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us.
It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey,
and he will give it to us!'"

Joshua and Caleb were part of the group that was chosen to explore the land that God promised to the Israelites. They saw all the riches and beauty that the land had to offer. It was easy for them to see God's plan and how he would bless the Israelites if they were faithful to him. But, for the rest of the Israelites, it had been years of wandering in the wilderness and it was becoming easier and easier to believe that God had abandoned them.

If we faithfully follow the Lord, even when we feel that we've spent years wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, God will bring us safely where we belong and his abundant blessing will be poured upon us.

{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Numbers 21}

Praise: I got the job I applied for at a local church!

Prayer: Working on patience & kindness

SIMPLE!

[Matthew 6:7-13]

"In praying, do not babble like the pagans who think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

This is how you should pray:

Our Father
who art in Heaven,
hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give is this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen"

This prayer is so peaceful.
It is a scripted little truth to pray.

If you ever wish God would just tell you what to say, this verse is when he does.
If you ever wish God would flat out tell you what to do, this verse is when he does.

Trust God's will.
Forgive.
Fight temptation.

It's summed up so well. In the spirit of Lent, along with the entire Rosary, I've been spending a lot of time on this prayer.
It's comfortable. It's the right words when you need them, every time.

Lent is my Favorite!

"Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest,

if we do not give up.

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all…"

Galatians 6:9-10.

" Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27

[I stole the first verse from a facebook status. It was exactly what I needed to hear.]

For Lent, I gave up being...a feisty little brat. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and I'm not sure that I did very well. "Feisty brat" is a pretty general bad habit to work on, which is why this season will probably will extremely difficult, but equally rewarding. We reap what we sew, right?!

Let me define some vocabulary for you...

Feisty (adj) with sass, perhaps cruelty, almost almost always unnecessary comments.

Brat (n) one who whines, complains, and talks about people behind their backs when she's not being feisty to their faces.

[I used to be a nice girl]

Work is one of the most difficult places to work on my promise. So at 6 AM on Ash Wednesday, that's where I was. I didn't do a very good job, but Caitlin texted me and reminded me that I could be some of these people's only window to God. No, that doesn't mean I stood outside the door of the break room, preaching and passing out pamphlets, it just held me accountable for being KIND. Caitlin talks about this in her lat post, it's chance to let God use you!
.
.
.
.
When I got home, I determined that my only obstacle there is that I get annoyed easily. Living with a 14 year old and 2 13 year olds who keep reminding you that in a few weeks they'll be 15 and 14 and 14, is a little...loud. :) If I just remember to be amused by them, I'll probably have no problem being less feisty.
My parents are going to take a lot more work and figuring out.


What I'm thinking is that every moment is an opportunity to be the "hands of God." And if I just master each moment, one at a time, eventually, acting for God will become more habitual.

Ash Wednesday turned into a day of identifying the moments that make me want to smash faces in; hopefully the rest of Lent will be me never reaching that point of annoyed or angry.

:)

Happy Lent!



[i like caitlin's thing she does at the bottom of her posts so i'm stealing it]

Prayer of the day: Help me focus on being non-feisty and non-bratty, and figure out what makes me that way!

Praise of the day: I feel ready for this day.

Job Search.

1 Corinthians 5:58 "So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and
steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know
that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

I've been searching for a new part time job lately and it just has not been too much fun.

As I search for a new job, I find myself listing off reasons why I already would hate each job I read:

-i would hate having that many hours
-i would hate not having enough hours
-i would hate driving that far to work
-i would hate making that little pay
-i would hate working with fast food
-i would hate working that early
-i would hate working that late
-i would hate working with that type of co-workers
-i would hate sitting in an office all day
-i would hate working outside
- i would hate....

Well, you get it.
I cross all of these jobs off my list without considering where God wants me and where he can use me.
Maybe that job that requires me to drive further, start earlier, work with more difficult people, and pays less is the one place that God wants me so that he can use me to accomplish work for his kingdom {Don't feel too much pressure - he can use you anywhere if you let him!}.

It's hard to remember when you're scrubbing toilets, flipping burgers, stocking shelves... that God can use you in every situation, even the ones that seem useless.


Be enthusiastic about your work. And let God use you for HIS work.

Ephesians 5:7 "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were
working for the Lord rather than for people."

{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Numbers 4}

Praise for the Day: Finally being reunited with my bible study ladies.

Prayer for the Day: That God opens up doors for whichever job he wants me to take.

Encourage

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

It has been a whirlwind of adventures the past few weeks, and I have seen God at work so much both in Chile and here in the states! I am still trying to process everything, so bear with me as the words are not quite there...

I feel like I have seen the family of God and the church in a different light recently. God has given us this amazing gift of brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may have fellowship, accountability, encouragement, and in all of that people to travel with in this journey that we are all in together.

People have been asking me why we went to Chile, and what we did. Although we did not do too many physical things besides a small construction project, we did share God's love.

We showed 40+ kids just how special they are to God by throwing them a birthday party, knowing that this was the first party for many of them.

We gave hugs and kisses to Mapuche children, who are some of the lowest social standing kids in Chile. Many had never been told that they are loved.

We listened to people's stories and prayed for them.

We shared our faith stories and found people 6000 miles away who were going through the same things we are.

We gave encouragement to a pastor and his family who have had a really rough two years, and were told that our being there was like an "injection" from God.

We worshiped our amazing Savior together, despite a language barrier, and we all knew that God understood each and every one of us.

We were blessed by people that have next to nothing.

It's amazing to me that we are part of such a big family of God. I often get so absorbed in my own little bubble at my church and forget to pray for and encourage those who are not so close to home. It is a blessing to be able to encourage and to be encouraged in our faith.

So, take a chance to encourage someone today. Ask them how they're doing. You never know the impact that you might have.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Closer

[James 4:8-10]

Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts,
for you are double-minded.
Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.

I've been thinking about how excited I am to push myself closer to God...
Sometimes, I just get excited, and then stop there. This happens a lot at work, when I feel a rushing need to drop what I'm doing and be in a total state of worship. (ever happen to you?) But without a bible on hand, or since I am required to do work while working, I have to keep my worship in my head. By the time I get home, I tend to let myself lose the motivation to read any scripture or devotionals or anything.

As if suddenly bursting out in praise means I was Christian enough for one day.

So to keep myself "near to God" like the verse says, I keep a little notebook in my pocket, and in it, I write down all my little moments of joy, with little prayers usually. I used to only use this little notebook to write down my struggles when I was too angry or upset to pray my rage away. It was such an amazing tool then. I could just read back through these rants when my sanity returned, and feel more articulate in prayer.

In the same sense, when I write down my joys (so that I can't let myself forget they happened) I can draw closer to God. When I get home from work I can read back through my joy-book and remember how good God is to me. It's usually the jump start I need to read a verse or two...which gets me even closer to God.

[see the pattern!?]

To "humble myself before the Lord," I am trying to remember to always, in praise or sad-prayer, to ask God to guide me in each situation.
[You know, instead of saying, "GAD I HATE THIS! Amen." Or, "God, I GOT this! Don't worry!! Amen." ]
Teach me how to stay happy; teach me how to use my little sad days to learn, and grow, and teach.

God loves us, I think it's clear that He just wants to help.
So let's not forget to let Him.

Defeat.

Lamentations 5:17 "Our hearts are sick and weary,
and our eyes grow dim with tears."

Do you ever have one of those days when you feel completely and utterly defeated?

That is exactly how I am feeling today.

I know my current troubles are no big deal in the eternal perspective and I know that God will always provide for me.
But sometimes life just gets to me.

I just need to remind myself today that God is in control and he cares about every detail of my life {and yours!}.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are pressed on every side by troubles,
but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up
and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked
down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these
bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of
Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."

{Through The Bible In One Year Update: Leviticus 16}

Prayer for the Day: Renewing of My Spirit

Patience Might not Even be Required

On Saturday night, I NEEDED to get out of the house. I forced my recently single, sad, little self into the company of some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

We went to a party.

[I don't drink, so when I go to parties, I treat myself to things like grape pop, which I enjoyed immensely.]

When we got there, the room was split into 2 teams for a rowdy trivia game. One of our questions was, "How long does it take for a ray of sun shine to reach the earth?"

8 1/2 Minutes.

My friend, Adam, knew the answer, so we got the point! YES! And I thought a lot about sunshine, after that, so I was thrilled.

The next day in church, Mr. Makes-announcements-and-gives-random-trivia told us that, "Hey! Did you know it takes 8 1/2 minutes for a ray of sun shine to leave the sun and reach the Earth??!"

And I said, "Yes, Mr. Makes-announcements-and-gives-random-trivia, I did know that.


So yesterday, during a spot of downtime, I thought about my sunshine coming in. I figured I would just give myself 8 1/2 minutes and I would feel warm and sunny. But I wasn't about to sit for 8 1/2 minutes. I was so still for my last blog entry and I don't know if I can be still much longer. So I compiled a list of things that I could do in 8 1/2 minutes, when I should have just held still...

I could
-Run 1 mile (maybe)
-Read a little book
-Read some bible
-Say a thoughtful prayer
-Put a few stitches in the latest quilt I've been neglecting
-Hang out on Facebook
-Read some ee cummings
-Write a poem
-Call somebody and say hello
-Check the mail and actually read through each junk piece
-Mix up some cookie dough
-Do enough sit ups and push ups to HURT
-Practice braiding my hair
-Make a grilled cheese and eat it
-Go sledding...just a couple times down the back yard hill
-Clean my room
-Do the dishes
-Write a lovely letter to someone I love
-Roll all my change
-Listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech
-Make a list of things that take about 8 1/2 minutes.

Bah.
The point is:
When you're waiting for your sunshine, you realize how long 8 1/2 minutes is.
And sometimes the sky is hellbent on raining.




Isn't it peaceful, and comforting, and exciting, and astonishing when you realize that God is instant!